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Gari Melchers Home and Studio Creates “Little Free Library”

March 4, 2013 By
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Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont is the site of a new public book exchange, part of the Little Free Library movement. The international movement encourages literacy and community-building through free book exchanges, known as Little Free Libraries. Visitors may pick up and drop off books at any location, completely free of charge. When Susan Taylor-Schran, Museum Shop and Marketing Manager at Belmont, heard about the movement, she knew it would be a fit for the historic landmark, given the Melchers’ lifelong love of books. Local woodworker Ken Smith built the wooden structure, located near the entrance of Belmont, and incorporated design elements from Belmont’s studio. “The idea of placing a Little Free Library at Belmont is in keeping with the charitable works of Gari and Corinne Melchers, whose concern for the citizens of Falmouth and surrounding areas is still remembered by many of our elderly citizens,” said Taylor-Schran. For more information about the … [Read more...]

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Melchers’ Original Painting Featured in Exhibition

November 5, 2012 By
Gari Melchers (American, 1860-1932) Bryant Park (Twilight), c. 1906-1907, oil on canvas Gari Melchers Home and Studio, University of Mary Washington

Gari Melchers’ iconic painting of a New York City park is prominently featured in the exhibition “American Art 1912: The Mattatuck Museum’s Centennial Exhibition” in Waterway, Conn., through Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. Melchers’ piece, “Bryant Park (Twilight),” is the only original painting in the museum’s display. The painting is owned by Gari Melchers Home and Studio located in Fredericksburg. The Mattatuck Museum was first organized as an historical society, and in 1912 inaugurated an art exhibition program as part of its mission. To mark the 100-year anniversary of the program, the Mattatuck Museum is recreating its November 1912 exhibition, which comprised a group of artists represented by New York’s Montross Gallery. Most of these artists were either Impressionists or Tonalists. Among the 19 artists included was Gari Melchers who displayed three paintings, one of which was “Bryant Park (Twilight).” Because the Mattatuck curators have been unable to … [Read more...]

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Century-Old Painting Loaned to Gari Melchers Home and Studio

October 9, 2012 By
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A more than 110-year-old painting has a new home at Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont. The Harold W. Huntley, Jr. Living Trust has loaned the museum “Little Constance,” which artist Gari Melchers painted around 1900 in London. “Little Constance” is currently on view in the artist’s studio where it will appear periodically over the next five years. Over Melchers’ long career he produced only a handful of children’s portraits, but his insight into their active lives and charming ways is evident in the deft and lively brushwork that characterizes Constance Creelman, the daughter of his friend Alice Buell Creelman. Creelman, an artist, journalist and art dealer, and Melchers first met in the late 1880s in Holland and became reacquainted at the turn of the 20th century. Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is … [Read more...]

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Gari Melchers Home and Studio Hosts Exhibition and Events

August 26, 2012 By
Gari Melchers (American, 1860-1932), Sketch of Landscape with Canal and Windmills, undated, watercolor on paper; Gari Melchers Home and Studio, University of Mary Washington

Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont is hosting the exhibition “Glimpses of Holland from the Portfolios of Gari Melchers” from Saturday, September 1 through Sunday, November 18. Artist Gari Melchers visited the Netherlands frequently during his career and used the country as an inspiration for many of his works. The exhibition features 50 first impressions drawn from Melchers’ portfolios and collection of preliminary oil sketches and studies. Art historian Jeffrey Ruggles will present the lecture “Henry Box Brown: Famous Fugitive, Trans-Atlantic Performer” on Sunday, October 28 at Gari Melchers Home and Studio. Ruggles, author of “The Unboxing of Henry Brown” and former curator of prints and photographs at the Virginia Historical Society, will retrace the journey of escaped slave and antislavery speaker Henry Brown. The lecture, which begins at 2 p.m., is free and open to the public. The program is organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is … [Read more...]

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Gari Melchers Home and Studio Hosted Spring Open House

April 4, 2012 By
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Gari Melchers Home and Studio hosted a spring open house on Sunday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event was free and open to the public who had the opportunity to experience the formal gardens exploding with color as well as the verdant woodland paths and trails. Both the house museum and studio were open for tours throughout the day. Amateur and professional artists are invited to use the grounds of Belmont as their own plein-air workshop.  Artists in all media are welcome, as well as photographers and those who want to enjoy the day as observers.  Picnicking on the grounds is also encouraged. Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. Located at 224 Washington St. in Falmouth, Va., a quarter mile west of the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 17, it is open … [Read more...]

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Gari Melchers Home and Studio Installs Interpretive Signage

February 28, 2012 By
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Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont recently installed 10 interpretive markers at key sites along its 1.5 miles of public trails. The markers feature descriptions and photographs detailing important trail sites, including the locations of a 19th-century ice pond and springheads and the ruins of an electric pump station artist Gari Melchers installed to bring water uphill from underground springs to a cistern near the main house. Additional marker topics include the Melchers’ farming practices, the early canal along the Rappahannock River that helped power 18th- and 19th-century mills in Falmouth and a gravesite for members of the family of Joseph B. Ficklen, the Civil War-era owner of Belmont. The George J. and Effie L. Seay Foundation provided funding for the project. In Corinne Melchers’ will deeding Belmont to the Commonwealth of Virginia, she expressed a desire that the property be developed into a public park for the enjoyment of local residents. “We are … [Read more...]

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Gari Melchers Home and Studio to Host Holiday Tours

November 30, 2011 By
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Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont will offer daily “Holidays with the Melchers” 30-minute guided tours of the artfully decorated Georgian house throughout December. The museum is open daily, except Wednesdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours run on the hour, starting at 10:30 a.m. and are included in the regular admission price of $10 for adults. Students 18 years old and younger are admitted free with an accompanying, paying adult, limit two. The tour will showcase imaginative decorations and vignettes that interpret life at the Melchers’ cherished Falmouth country retreat. All exterior decorations are provided courtesy of the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club. The museum gift shop, decked out for the season, will offer a wide selection of books, advent calendars, art supplies and gift items. Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary … [Read more...]

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Gari Melchers Home and Studio Named to Virginia’s Endangered Artifacts Program

November 2, 2011 By
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The more than 150-year-old wrought-iron staircase at Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont has been named one of Virginia’s Top Ten Endangered Artifacts. The Top Ten program is a project of the Virginia Collections Initiative and the Virginia Association of Museums. An independent peer review panel chose the railing, believed to have been forged around 1845, from 25 nominations across Virginia to make the Top Ten Endangered Artifacts list. Virginia’s Top Ten Endangered Artifacts program, funded by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, aims to raise awareness of the importance of preserving artifacts in the care of museums, libraries and archives throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. … [Read more...]

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